District U-46 recognizes volunteers

The Elgin Area School District U-46 Board of Education recognized its volunteers at a reception June 7. Each year, parents, community members, and even students, volunteer their time to support the board and U-46 administration.

During the ceremony, Sue Rakow, president of the U-46 Foundation, was recognized as the U-46 Volunteer of the Year. Rakow helped with a successful referendum in the mid-1980s and served as a community member on the Instructional Council. In 2005 when the board and administration decided to investigate starting an educational foundation, the district turned to her.

Rakow led the work behind the scenes to recruit other foundation board members, to identify their mission and funding guidelines, and to connect sample bylaws. She enlisted the help of Leo Nelson and Jack Shales as the three of them became the founding members. The first board meeting was held in January 2006, and they worked for the next two years to build the organization and begin fundraising.

Rakow was elected the first foundation president, a position she continues to hold. The foundation has funded many projects that support U-46 students. One involved the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and Carnegie Hall, with 800 students participating in the program. To celebrate Rakow's award, 25 young musicians who benefited from that project performed at the event.

Volunteers serve a variety of roles in U-46. For example, the Citizens' Advisory Council has been advising the board of education for more than 50 years. The African-American, Bilingual Parent Advisory and the Elgin Hispanic Network are groups that consult with district staff on issues specific to students and families from the diverse district.

The Clergy Advisory Committee contributes guidance and shares views on issues related to the faith communities represented in U-46, while the Business Advisory Council keeps the superintendent and staff in touch with the economic concerns of the communities.

For the second year in a row, the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council sought nominations for the student board member, conducted interviews and presented their recommendation to the board of education.

Other volunteer groups recognized at the event included the Senior Citizen Advisory, several Career and Technical Education Program advisory committees, the Gifted Advisory Committee, the School Safety Advisory Task Force, the U-46 Educational Foundation, and the Budget Advisory Task Force.